Finally booked my vaccine appointment. I say "finally" because I had grown really impatient over the past few weeks, as just about everybody I know has gotten their first shot, at least, or has an appointment to do so. My number just wasn't coming up. I am definitely in a low-priority tier -- not elderly, no underlying health conditions, not in a priority zip code, can work from home, etc. -- but others in this tier (like S) are getting their registration emails. Why not me?
Luck of the draw, most likely, and also I'm not willing to lie on my registration form. I don't begrudge anybody for "cutting the line" by being savvy online, or knowing somebody who has an in, or just showing up at a vaccine site on stand-by, or what have you -- moving quickly is much more important than moving perfectly fairly in this situation -- but I don't think it's right to say things that aren't true to get priority. And I know people who have done that. One person I know, who lives in a condo by himself, answered "yes" to the question, "Do you live in group house?" Another person I know, of normal weight, said she is obese. I just can't bring myself to do that. We need a baseline of courtesy and honesty for society to function. (Also, there is the small chance of getting caught and called for it, which, to me, is just about the most embarrassing thing imaginable.)
Luckily, S heard about these mass-vaccination centers they've opened in Maryland, even to DC residents, and I was able to book an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Initially I was going to drive to Salisbury, which is five hours round-trip from my house, but I was able to find a closer facility, under three hours. That's not too bad -- about an hour-twenty up and an hour-twenty back. Plus, it's the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, so it's one-and-done.
It also might be less effective. It certainly has a worse reputation, which is perhaps why it's available at these mass vax sites, but from what I can gather, its bum rap is mostly unwarranted. It prevents infection for a significant majority of its recipients (almost 75% in the U.S.), and, most importantly, the number of people who've needed to be hospitalized or died from Covid after taking it is effectively 0. Here's a quote from AMA Chief Health and Science Officer Mira Irons, MD:
"Don’t get caught up necessarily on the numbers game, because it’s a safe and effective vaccine and what we need is to have as many effective vaccines as possible. Accept the fact that now you have three highly effective vaccines... These vaccines have not been tested head to head, so it’s impossible to do a really accurate comparison. What matters most is … they are all effective at preventing the most severe Covid outcomes, including hospitalization and death."So, despite the alarmist headlines about J&J, count me in.
One of my trivia friend's wife is also going to get vaccinated at this site tomorrow, and they don't have a car, so I'm giving her a ride. I don't know her super well, so it might be a little awkward. Also, I'm not sure if we will wear our masks the whole way there or not. I didn't even think about that when I offered the ride. It would be pretty ironic if one of us gave the other Covid on the way to get vaccinated. We should probably keep our masks on. (I don't really mind the mask that much, truth be told.) Also, driving is usually a chance for me to listen to podcasts, and it would be weird if I did that with her in the car. And now I have to clean the car, which I should have done a long time ago regardless, so I guess that's okay. It'll be fine. I need to rebuild my friend group here in DC, anyway. It's been decimated through people moving out of the city and atrophy from quarantine, so I should probably take every chance I get to bond with people.
In other news, S's whole family -- parents, sister, sister's dog -- are in town for an extended visit. They all got vaccinated and headed up. (They are also all still very Covid cautious despite this.) It's nice -- we hadn't seen her parents in over a year -- but it's a mad house now, especially with everybody being inside most of the time. Maybe it's a good thing the vaccination site is kinda far away.
Alright, that's all I got for today. Until next time...
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